


Sword Art Online, a Side Character's Story

by Natsume_Higurashi



Category: Sword Art Online
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-07
Updated: 2016-12-09
Packaged: 2018-08-29 15:32:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8495626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Natsume_Higurashi/pseuds/Natsume_Higurashi
Summary: A take on SAO using original characters. This story is more about exploring the world and an original story within the world. While this may not be for everyone, go ahead and give this story a try if you want to explore the world a bit more than the series does.





	1. The Day It All Changed

**Author's Note:**

> I've put a lot of research into this, looking up monsters, cities, and terrains. Most of what is in this story is stuff I've pulled from the anime, the light novel, and the wiki. It might not all be correct, as the wiki is fanmade, but a lot of hard work and time went into making the world of SAO as authentic as possible.

                I had recently moved from Tokyo to Hokkaido. I was never that good at making friends, or talking to people in general, so I retreated to online games. When I learned that there was a MMORPG coming out on the NerveGear, oh goodness, I bought one long before the game even came out, and I got one of the first games. When the clock finally hit 1:oo p.m. I logged on as fast as I could. The system took awhile to fully calibrate so it wasn't another thirty minutes until I was able to create an account and an avatar. In real life, I have kinda mousy brown hair, so I set my hair at a much more appealing reddish-brown color. I kept my actual eye color, green, and added freckles, which I also have. After putting in my desired height and weight-5 foot 2 inches and slim-I finally got my first look at the world of Sword Art Online.

                I was amazed. The colors were more vibrant and distinct than in the real world. Above my head, about a half a mile high, is the ceiling, the Second Floor. I gazed at the stone ceiling for a moment before realizing that I was still standing in the middle of the walk way. I quickly moved out of the way. My back safely against a wall, I swiped my hand down to bring up my menu. I explored all the tabs curiously. In the Skills section, I noticed the two I picked while creating my character, One-Handed Sword and One-Handed Dagger. I had gotten a newbie sword with the avatar but it seemed that I'd have to buy a dagger myself. Exploration of the menu done, I headed out into the field to do some hunting. I probably could have bought some armor, a better sword, or even a dagger with the money given to me, but I'd rather get some cash-er, col-and buy something of a higher quality right off the bat.

                On my way out of town, I noticed two players, both male, walking in front of me. One of them was a samurai looking guy clad in red, and the other looked like someone who had just climbed out of a shojo manga. I raised a brow at their outlandish looks, but I quickly forgot them as I left the town. Stunned, all I could do was flick my eyes over the scenery. I t was just as amazing as my first view in the town. A person bumped into me from behind so I got off the path quickly. That's where I was, hunting Frenzy Boar, when the whole world fell apart.

                _Ding! Ding! Ding!_ I look up from the monster I had just killed. I had been trying for about an hour and a half and this is the first one I've managed to kill. It wasn't without a cost though. All my failed attempts to fight had ended with me running for my life and my health bar is just shy of turning red. _Why's the bell going off?_ I wonder. As I think that, a strange blue light engulfs me. Yelping in panic, I stumble backward into someone. _What? There was no one_ near _me a minute ago._ The light fades to reveal that I had been teleported to the plaza in the Town of Beginnings. "Are you alright?" the person behind me asks. I jerk forward and spin on my heel to face the person behind me. His head is topped with a mop of hair just a few shapes browner than mine. His eyes are hazel and he has freckles just like I do. My head comes level with his chest so I have to crane my head back a tad to see his face. "I-I'm alright," I answer, embarrassed. I freaked out about something so simple as a teleport. He must think I'm a wimp. "Don't worry," he comforts me, seeing my reddening face. "You weren't the only one to be scared. I was surprised by it myself." I clear my throat awkwardly. My appearance in real life is not that appealing to guys, at least that's what it seems like, so I'm not used to talking with guys all that much. "Though I think you were the only one to shriek," he continues. I quickly snap from grateful to annoyed. I narrow my eyes and open my mouth to snap back at the boy when I hear gasps of shock around me.

                "Wha-" my question cut off as I turn and notice the red system alerts. They fill the ceiling above us, ominous in their bloody color. I start to shake but I manage to keep a clear head. Viscous liquid, thick as the blood it resembles, oozes from the ceiling, forming one large drop. This drop, instead of falling on to the crowd below, turns into a large robbed figure with white gloves. No... That's not right. There's-there's- "There's nothing in the robe," I mutter under my breath. The figure speaks as if my words had awoken it.

                "Welcome to my world," the figure announces. "My name is Akihiko Kayaba. As of this moment, I am the only human being alive with control over this world." This  declaration is met with shocked gasps. "I'm sure that many of you have noticed that something is missing on your menu." He opens up his menu with his left hand. _Left hand? And what's missing?_ I open up my own menu to check. "You have likely noticed by now that the log-out button has disappeared from the main menu. This is not a bug. I repeat, this is not a bug-it is a feature of Sword Art Online." _WHAT?_ I check where the logout is supposed to be. Technically it's still there, just grayed out and pressing it does nothing.

                "From this point onward, you will be unable to freely log out of the game until the summit of this castle is conquered. Furthermore, the NerveGear cannot be removed or shut down via external means. If forceful means of exit are attempted..." Kayaba pauses, and the weight of the silence presses down on all of us. "... the high-powered microwaves emitted by the NerveGear will scramble your brain and shut down your vital processes."

                My eyes fill with tears of fear before my mind can even comprehend what Kayaba just said. _We will_ die _if someone tries to take off the NerveGear?_

                "To be more specific, the brain-frying sequence will commence upon any of the following circumstances: ten minutes of no external power: two hours of network disconnections: removal, dismantling, or destruction of the NerveGear. The authorities and media in the outside world have already announced the details of these conditions to the general public. At present, the friends and family of several players have already ignored these warnings and attempted to forcefully remove their NerveGears, the result being..." The jerk pauses again. "... that sadly, two hundred and thirteen players have already been permanently retired from both Aincrad and the real world." A scream echoes from somewhere else in the square, though the rest of the crowd remains eerily silent.

                "There is no need to worry about your physical bodies back in the real world. The current state of the game and today's fatalities have been covered far and wide on television, radio, and the Internet. The danger that someone will forcefully remove your NerveGear is already diminished. The two-hour offline leeway period should provide enough time for your physical bodies to be transported to hospitals and other long-term care facilities with proper security, elimination concerns over your physical well-being. You may rest assured.. and focus on conquering the game.

                "However, please proceed with caution. As of this moment, Sword Art Online is no longer a game to you. It is another reality. The standard means of player resurrection will no longer function as they did previously. When your hit points dwindle to zero, your avatar will be permanently deleted... and the NerveGear will destroy your brain."

                A sob catches in my throat as my mind flashes back to my fights with the boar. I had almost died so many times. I'll die here. I'll die here! A long pause fills the plaza while everyone tries to fully comprehend what the robbed figure just said. "There is only one condition through which you can be freed from this game. Simply reach the hundredth floor at the pinnacle of Aincrad and defeat the final boss who awaits you there. In that instant, all surviving players will be able to safely log out once again.

                "Finally, let me prove to you that this world is now your one and only reality. I've prepared a gift for all of you. You may find it in your item storage." Numbly, I open my menu to check my storage. I find an item labeled "mirror". Clicking it, a mirror appears in my hands. My avatar is reflected in it. I'm about to open my mouth to question the purpose, when flashes of light shoot up around me, jolting me into alertness. A white light engulfs me, cutting off my vision. When it fades away, I half-expect to be in a different location again, but no, I'm still in the square. Curiously, I look back into the mirror. I drop it in surprise when I see my own face staring back at me. It shatters into colorful polygons along with a few other dropped mirrors.

                As confusion spreads through out the crowd, Kayaba speaks again. "You are likely asking yourselves, why? Why would Akihiko Kayaba, developer of SAO and the NerveGear unit, do such a thing? Is it an act of terrorism? An elaborate kidnapping to extract ransom money?" Before this, Kayaba's voice had been emotionless and flat. Now it's colored with... longing? "What I seek is neither of these things. I have no goals or justifications at this moment. In fact, this very situation _was_ my ultimate goal. I created the NerveGear and SAO precisely in order to build this world and observe it. I have now achieved that aim." He pauses for a third dang time, and this time his voice is flat again. "This concludes the tutorial phase of Sword Art Online. I wish you the best of luck, dear players." With that, the robe is absorbed back into the rock above and the system alerts blink away.

                Chaos breaks out in the plaza. People scream. A person gets trampled. Denials are shouted at the top of the players lungs. Me, I stand there, numb. My eyes are wide open but they don't see anything, they're nothing but vacant globes at the moment. Even the noise, the yelling and screaming, sound muffled to me, as if trickling through a thick layer of cotton.

                "Hey." The sound must be close if I can hear it over all the noise and the cotton in my ears. "Hey," I hear again, louder. "Hey!" the voice finally screams. Blinking, dazed, I turn my gaze to the voice. It's the boy from before. At least I think it is. The voice sounds the same, though the face is changed somewhat. "Don't go spacin' out like that," he snaps. "It's not safe to let your guard down here." For some reason unknown to me, I take out all I feel on him. I don't remember much of what I screamed, all I know is that after I finally got all my anger out, fear was left, so I ran for it. I ran out of the plaza. I ran out of the town. I ran for as long as my virtual legs could take me. When I look back, I see the Town of Beginnings, the only save haven for a good while, glowing in the sunset behind me. Taking a deep breath I jog back. I don't want to be stuck out here with all of the monsters at night.

                When I get back to the town, I see that the chaos hasn't lifted. In fact, it might have gotten worse. I slip my way quickly through the crowd towards the closest inn. I rent a room before anyone outside can come to their senses and take all of the inns in town. The room I rent is small, just a bed and a lamp in it, but it'll do for now. It'll do.


	2. Leaving the Town of Beginnings

                I spend most of the next few days holed up in my room at the inn. I curl up on the bed and stare at the ceiling blankly. I just can't comprehend what has happened yet. My mind is empty. I don't scream, I don't cry, I don't even move. I'm numb. I am finally kicked into action when my purse runs dry. Unable to continue paying for the room, I'm left to wander the town. At some point I end up at the gate leading outside. I gaze at the admittedly still beautiful landscape with glazed eyes. After a few moments I walk forward, my steps robotic. For the first time since that day, I'm leaving the Town of Beginnings. "You'll die out there!" I hear a person shout behind me. For some reason, the man's shout wakes me up, knocks me out of my stupor. It's not that I don't care anymore if I die, I just don't want to sit around numbly like I have been for however long it will take to beat the game. I want to live. I want to go out and explore this world, fight for myself, maybe even help clear the game. Confidently now, a smile on my face and a gleam in my once dead eyes, I take the final step out of town.

                It takes awhile to level up, given that I'm going solo. When given the option of where to place the points I got, I split them semi-evenly between strength and agility, placing a few more in agility than strength. It takes me most of the rest of the month to reach Level 7. At this point, two thousand players have died. Sword Art Online has shaved off a rather large portion of its original population. The first floor boss hasn't been beaten yet either. There's a meeting planned in the town of Tolbana. I don't know how much I'll help, but I make my way there anyways.

                With the money I've earned from hunting, I've bought a new, though still unremarkable, sword and some simple armor. Really it's just better looking clothes with  higher defense and durability stats but at least I'm not in newbie gear anymore. Looking around the amphitheater, I see one other girl among the group, though she's wearing a hood so she may just be a girly dude. Not far from her is a boy with black hair and eyes still in newbie equipment. Before I can look around more the guy on the stage calls for the meeting to begin.

                "My name is Diavel, and the job I rolled in this game is knight!" he announces with a smile.

                "There is no job system in this game," someone shouts from the crowd. Chuckles echo off of the ruins. The blue haired 'knight' motions with his hand to quiet down after a moment. Continuing on good naturedly he says, "A scouting party found the boss room. I want everyone to get into parties of five or six. We cannot take on this boss by ourselves."  _Party? But I don't know anyone,_ I think frantically. I whip my head back and forth anxiously. I was planning on asking the girl but she seems to have partied up with the boy I noticed earlier. Someone tabs my shoulder. Yelping, I spin around the see the boy that I had been with on that day. "Nice to see you again," he says with a smirk. "Would you like to form a party with me." I nod slowly, still a little shocked.

                The boy opens up his menu and sends me a party request. I press it reluctantly, both ashamed about blowing up at him unreasonably and remembering my annoyance with him. Seeing my hesitation, the boy reassures me, "I know you were just scared. I didn't take anything you said to heart." I flush in embarrassment.

                "I shouldn't have yelled at you though, so I'm sorry," I mutter. He laughs at my red face and ruffles my hair. Stunned, I freeze. This makes him laugh even harder. I puff out my checks angrily but, before I can snap at him, a man with spiky hair calls out, "Now hold on!" and jumps down the seats to stand beside Diavel. Maybe I should just stop trying to come up with retorts when it comes to this guy, Ryu judging by the name now under mine. I'm always interrupted.

                "Listen up, my name is Kibaou. We all know about the two thousand players who have died!" he shouts. Pointing at the crowd he continues, "Some of you need to apologize to them."

                I look around in confusion, not sure who he's talking about. Why would only a few people need to apologize? Why would anyone?

                "You're talking about the beta testers aren't you?" Diavel asks, answering my unspoken questions.

                "Yeah," the man, Kibaou, agrees. To the crowd he crows, "The beta testers abandoned us in this death game and took all of the best hunting places! I think all of you should give up all of your money and belongings."

                A tall man walks quietly over to Kibaou. The man is behind him, so Kibaou doesn't notice him until he says, "Excuse me." Kibaou starts, turning around to face the large man. "You want the beta testers to give up their stuff because they didn't help anyone, right?" the man clarifies.

                "Y-yeah. That's right," Kibaou replies. The man digs around in his pocket for a moment, pulling out a little brown book. I'd seen similar books in stores. They're guide books written by the beta testers that they give away for free. I've made use of them many a time myself. The man goes on to repeat what I had just thought. "This information was available to all players, and many still died," he says. Kibaou, beaten now, glares at the ground.

                "Now, if we could get back to the meeting," Diavel continues with an aside glance at Kibaou. He takes out an identical book to the one that the man showed off. "Everything that we know about the boss is in this book." Kibaou glances at it in surprise. Opening the book, Diavel continues, "The boss is called Illfang the Kobold Lord. He has four health bars and uses a large axe. When his health drops to his last bar, he switches to a nodachi." Closing the book, he finishes up with, "That concludes the meeting." He gives us a meeting time and place for the boss rad.

                Meeting over, I start to leave the amphitheater when a hand grabs my left arm. Turning my head I see that it's Ryu. "Don't you think we should practice a little bit before the boss battle?" he asks me. I don't really want to agree but it does sound like a good idea so I nod unhappily. With a smirk he says, "Don't look so happy to be spending time with me." A smile twitches a the corner of my mouth but I manage to suppress it.

                So where do you want to go?" I ask him once I get myself under control.

                "Oh," he says with a mischievous grin. "I know a good place."


	3. Night in Tolbana

                _Clash! Clang! Clash! Clang!_ The sound of my sword connecting with a Swamp Kobold Trapper's echoes off the trees. I use a sword skill to block the next attack, calling, "Switch!" when I feel myself freeze. Ryu darts in and slashes at the monster, sending out a shower of polygons as the creature dies. "You learn fast, newbie," he 'compliments' me with an easy grin as he slides his sword back into his sheath. As much as he annoys me, I have to say that our two styles _do_ work well together. This has been the third monster that we've taken down in about fifteen minutes and neither of our health bars have dropped all that much. I even leveled up after this last monster. With a cheer, I distribute the points I had gained. "You know, you're actually pretty cute when you're happy," Ryu jabs. _Was that a compliment or an insult?_ I wonder, brow raised.

                I raise my hand to push back my glasses which aren't there anymore. My hand freezes when it doesn't feel the frame and I drop my hand back down quickly, stunned. Though I've been in the game for a month, I still do that out of habit. Ryu watches the whole thing curiously.

                "What was that?" he wonders.

                "Er... In real life I have glasses," I explain, my face reddening. "Pushing them up became a habit that I haven't quite managed to break."

                With a chuckle he says, "You have glass?" He studies my face carefully. "No, can't see it."

                "Well I do," I snap irritably.

                "Ha, I'd like to see that someday," Ryu says.

                "Yeah," I drawl. "Don't hold your breath buddy." Sighing, I glance around the swamp. "I don't see any more monsters. Do you think we've done enough training today?" He nods, "Yeah, I think we're good." Ryu turns and heads back towards the town. I have to jog to catch up with him. The walk back is quiet. I've never been all that chatty, so I just don't know what to talk about most of the time. Ryu doesn't seem interesting in talking either, oddly. Maybe he only opens his mouth to tease people. I can believe that.

                When we reach town I head off to search for a cheap inn. Ryu grabs my arm before I can leave. "Don't you want something to eat?" he asks when I turn to look at him. "Maybe. Why?" I question.

                "I'll treat you to dinner, partner," he answers. I raise my eyebrows. "Was that a crack at my accent?" I ask. I had only been in Hokkaido a short time, but I quickly picked up on the drawl.

                "No," he answers quickly. "Maybe." He smiles.

                "Well, I'm not the kind to turn down a free meal. Lead the way." I nod my head towards him as a go ahead.

                He heads the opposite direction of the way I was originally going. Trotting after him, I take the time to look around, as I hadn't seen much of Tolbana. Sitting on a stone bench is the pair I saw at the meeting. Realizing that I've slowed, I face forward only to fine Ryu has disappeared. I glance around, hoping to spot him nearby. He's nowhere to be seen. _Alright than._ Slightly put off, I look around once more.

                "Looking for someone?" a voice asks from my right. Turning my head I see another boy. He is has hair the color of chocolate. It's been so long since I've had chocolate... I shake my head to snap myself back to the present.

                "Yeah," I answer. "A person in my party was taking my to eat but I seem to have lost him." I look over my shoulder, trying one last time to find Ryu. "Oh well," I say with a shrug.

                "Can I treat you to dinner in his place?" the player asks. I narrow my eyes suspiciously. At school IRL, boys have tried to trick and tease me by playing nice so I'm instinctually wary of anyone that's too nice right off the bat. "Thanks but no thanks," I answer in a measured tone. "I was actually going to book a room at an inn before he dragged me off anyway."

                I head back the way I came, waving over my shoulder at the boy. _I trust the boy that teases me and turn down the one that's nice. What sort of warped mindset do I have?_ I wonder as I walk through the entrance of an inn. I pay for a room just as a bell sounds behind me to signal that another player is coming in. A familiar voice says behind me, "Where'd you wander off to?" Stifling an annoyed sigh, I turn to face my partner. "I didn't wander off," I respond. " I lost you in the crowd, so I decided to find myself a place to spend the night. ... How'd you find me?"

                "Easily," he answers. "There's only one inn in Tolbana. There's also only one restaurant."

                "And I should know this because?," I question. This town is rather big because of all the NPC houses, and I haven't taken the time to explore. When he doesn't answer I ask, "So what took you so long to find me?"

                He answers me by opening up his menu. After a few seconds he has steaming food in his hands, and something that looks an awful lot like a bottle of ale. "I was getting dinner. I was hoping to eat at the restaurant, but I had to make do with to-go." The smell drifting from it makes my mouth water. Seeing the expression on my face, he laughs and hands me my food. "You look like a starved dog," he tells me. "When was the last time you ate?"

                I think for a second on that. "I ate some bread this morning," I answer, "but I haven't seen or smelled anything this good since my last real world meal." He smiles warmly. It's odd seeing him smile without any mocking behind it. I smile back before I can stop myself. "T-thanks," I mutter. I take a bite of the food to cover my awkwardness. It tastes as good as it smells. After I swallow I lead the way over to a chair so that we can sit while we eat. Seated, Ryu brings out some cups and unstops the bottles. "I'm underage," I joke lightly. He give a slight smirk as he pours. "Don't worry. I don't think that you can get drunk here."

                "I'm sure a few have tried though," I comment as I take the cup he offers me.

                "I have," he answers jokingly. "Trust me, it's impossible."

                "I wouldn't have taken you for a drunkard, Ryu." I take a sip of the ale. I has a pleasant spicy taste to it.

                "I'm not," he says. "I just wanted to see if it was possible."

                "Sure," I drawl, rolling my eyes. We both laugh. It's odd. I'm in a death game with someone who annoys the heck out of me, and I'm laughing. This has probably been the first time that I've honestly enjoyed myself since the game started. Okay, maybe I've been enjoying the battles a little too much but let's leave my insane battle high out of this. "You know," I say when I finish laughing, "you're not half bad when you're not being a jerk."

                "Never a jerk," he corrects. "I only tell the truth."

                "Very bluntly," I add. "You could at least try to be nice instead of teasing me."

                "But then I'll lose my charm," he protests.

                "What charm?" I ask with a laugh. He smiles and takes a bite of his food. We both finish without any other words being exchanged. When I finish the last of my drink, I stand up and thank him for the food. "I'll be retiring to my room now, I guess."

                "See you tomorrow than," Ryu says. "And don't worry, you'll do fine against the minions." Ryu and I, since we're only a party of two, are going to be targeting the Ruin Kobold Sentinels.

                "I'm not worried," I assure him before heading up the stairs to my room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The accent remark is because I picture Lucy having a Southern accent, but as I don't know which accent in comparable to that in Japan, I went with Hokkaido because of all the cows.


	4. The Beater

                The next morning Ryu and I meet up outside of the inn. "Nervous?" he asks jokingly.

                "Not any more than you are," I respond smoothly. We meet up with the rest of the boss raiding party at the amphitheater before heading through the forest towards the dungeon. At some point, the other pair lag behind. I glance over my shoulder to see the male give a heavy sigh at something the girl said.

Not long after, we enter the dungeon. The monsters are all relatively easy to beat given our size and levels. Even I pitch in, though I'm probably the lowest level here at just about five, though by the time we reach the boss room I've leveled up again. Diavel speaks up before we enter. "Don't anyone be a hero. If you're in danger, fall back." With that, he opens the large, decorated doors. The room beyond is a long hall with columns lining either side. Though the room is dark, I can see a large figure sitting on a throne on a dais at the far end of the room. The group enters as one. Once we get about a fourth of the way into the room, the figure snaps opens its eyes.The red glow emanating fro them seems to have triggered something and the room lightens considerably. The figure, now given form and color, stands up and roars as he draws his sword. The boss has red skin and an oddly dog-like face. If he were normal size, he probably wouldn't be so imposing, but he is at least three times my height. When Illfang roars, three smaller and slimmer versions of him appear in a ring around his throne, the sentinels. The battle starts.

                Ryu and I handle one of the minions while the main body tackles the boss. Since we had practiced the other day, we don't seem to even need to communicate to get out job done. We both just know what we need to do. All seems to go well until the boss's last health bar drops into the red. He throws his weapon into the air and grabs the hilt of a sword strapped to his waist. This all seems to go along with what was in the book. Diavel, against the original plan, rushes forward by himself. None of us realize that anything is wrong, though I do notice Ryu tensing, until someone yells, "No, wait! It's no good! Get out of there!" The boss unsheathes his sword and strikes the blue haired knight, knocking him back. The main body of the party defends against the boss while the boy in the other pair rushes over to help Diavel. For some reason, he refuses the healing potion, opting instead to say something to the boy. When whatever he had to say was finished, Diavel shatters into dozens of multicolored polygons. In horror, I give a small cry. I had never seen another player die in front of me. The boy seems just as stunned.

"Lucy!" Ryu calls out. A small part of my mind registers that that's the first time he has actually addressed me by name. Spinning on my heel, I see the boss swinging he sword toward the two of us. I block the blow with my sword, though I slide across the floor a few inches as Illfang is too strong for me to hold off his attack. I'm just about to drop to the ground to dodge the blade, when Ryu helps me block. This holds off the large weapon effectively. The other pair rushes forward and attacks the boss. Ryu and I fall back, letting them strike.

The boss charges up a sword skill, and the boy blocks it. His partner continues running toward the boss. She's about to attack when the boss swings his sword. She dodges just in time, her cloak tearing off in the process. Unperturbed by her near miss, the girl readies her own sword skill and strikes, sending him flying.

The boy, who'd been knocked to the ground when he blocked the first attack, shoots to his feet and yells, "It's coming back!" Darting toward the boss, he parries the boss's sword, allowing his partner to get another hit in. He blocks again, defending the girl. Illfang strikes a few more times, each one held off by the boy's own sword.

Both the boy and the boss attack with a sword skill, but the boy is too slow. He's hit by the blow. The boy is thrown back, and he knocks his partner down as well. She hurries to defend her partner from another sword skill attack, only to be saved by an axe-wieldier. Others charge after him.

Ryu grabs my arm. "Come on, we need to help."

His unexpected touch sends my heart into my throat, as I was focused on the pair's fight. Swallowing, I nod and ready my sword. Together, we charge forward with the rest. All together, we do very little real damage to the boss. Using a sword skill, Illfang lashes out at us and jumps into the air, reading another skill.

"Watch out!" comes from behind us. Just from the voice I can tell it's the boy. He meets the boss in midair, his own sword skill already charged. Illfang crashes to the ground while the boy lands on his feet. Not even pausing a moment, he pivots back around and charges at the boss. He calls out to his partner, and she joins him in his attack.

Together, they meet the boss. He sweeps his sword up, knocking the boss off balance. The girl darts forward and hits him multiple times, in a style befitting a fencer. She switches out with her partner, who strikes downward with his sword, slicing the boss from shoulder to hip. He hits the boss one more time, cutting from hip to neck. The boss goes flying, shattering into pixels at the peak of his arc.

"Congratulations" hangs in the air as silence descends upon us as we take in what just occurred. A single voice calls out, and like a dam breaking, the rest of the crowd cheers. Ryu is one of the people lending their voice to the crowd. It takes me another moment before the realization hits me. That is enough to cause me to yell out, "Whoop!" in victory as well. The room darkens as our voices echo off of the walls. We quiet down, and the axe-wieldier and the boy's partner go over to the boy to thank him. The rest of us murmur our agreements. Our celebration turns sour when Kibou pipes up.

"Stop cheering!" he commands. We drop into a stunned silence as he continues.  "Why'd you do it, huh? Why'd you let Diavel die?"

"Let him die?" the boy questions.

Kibou, who'd been sitting slumped over with his head down, jerks his head up to face the boy. "That's what I said!" he snaps. "Admit it. You knew the technique the boss was going to use. You could have told us! Than Diavel would have stood a chance. He wouldn't've had to die!"

Discontent starts to spread through the crowd, evidenced by a everyone glancing at each other for an explanation.

"I know why he knew!" a brown haired boy interjects. "He used to be a beta tester! Think about it, he knew the boss's attack patterns. He knew, but he kept it from us! And I bet he's not the only beta tester here." Now he turns to the rest of the crowd and point an accusative finger at us. "Come on, show yourselves."

Now the looks exchanged are full of suspicion.

"This is stupid," I hear Ryu mutter. I glance up at him in confusion. "While I agree with you," I tell him in an even voice, "I'd like you to explain to me why you think so."

"The book said that the boss was going to use a talwar," Ryu explains. "Everything else up to that point was right, correct?" I nod. "So why was the boss using a nodachi? What would the beta testers gain from telling us the wrong weapon? The boss's attack was changed between the beta tests and now."

Creepy laughter comes from the direction of the boy. All of us turn towards him as his cackling grows louder.

"So you guys think I used to be a beta tester? It's not cool to put me in the same class as those noobs." The boy rises from his kneeling position, his movement just as creepy as his laughter.

"What'd you say?" Kibou barks from the other side of the crowd.

"You heard me," the boy answers. As he talks, he cuts through the crowd, heading for Kibou. "Most of the thousand people who scored a slot in SAO's beta were rookies. They were so green, they didn't even know how to level up. Even you guys were better than they were. But me, I'm nothing like those guys, man."

Despite the atmosphere and the boy's now threatening tone, I have to stifle a laugh when he says 'man.' I know I don't know the guy all that well, but just the way he says it makes it seem like 'man' used in that context is not a part of his usual vocabulary.

He comes to a stop. "During the beta, I made it to floors that were higher than any of the other testers. That's a fact. I knew about the boss, 'cause I fought tons of monsters with way more sword skills on higher floors." The boy moves his head to glare menacingly at Kibou. "I know a bunch of other things, too. More than you can imagine. More than any info broker."

Maybe because I noticed the alteration in diction, but the boy's act just falls apart before my eyes. Before, I almost believed the boy was a sociopath, but now, now I can see he's just acting. But why? I think back to right before the boy started laughing. Almost all of us were about to turn on each other. Now, if the tide of anger is going the way I think it is, it will all turn onto him. Is that why?

"Wha-what the... If that's true than you're worse than a beta tester. You're a cheater, that's what you are," Kibou growls.

Like I had guessed, the crowd soon turns on the boy. Most of the calls are unintelligible, but one voice is heard above the rest. "He's a beta tester and a cheater! He's a beater!"

"A beater," the boy repeats. "Yeah, that's good. I like that."

For some strange reason, this causes a few people to step back in fear.

"Please tell me you're not falling for this?" I ask Ryu. He shakes his head.

"He is doing a pretty good job of redirecting everyone's anger, though," Ryu comments. "I guess he deserves praise doing that."

I nod and turn my focus back to the boy. At this point, he has his menu open.

"You can call me a beater," the boy says. "Just make sure you don't confuse me with those beta testers anymore." A black cloak appears on the boy's avatar. With one last look at Kibou, he turns his back on the spiky haired man. The boy walks toward the gate and almost makes it up the stairs before his partner runs after him. I'm worried that she got sucked into the mob mentality as well, and that she's about to yell at him herself.

But the voice she uses is soft. "Wait," she calls. I can't hear the rest of the conversation, but his demeanor seems to have softened. He turns and points to something in the air. I can't see his face from here, but I'm guessing that he's dropped his scary mask. The girl giggles, and I have to smile as well. At least there are other people here who don't hate the boy. He turns his back on her, but stays where his is, presumably still talking to the girl. After their conversation is down, the gate opens, and the black swordsman walks through.


	5. Bullbous Bow

                Ryu and I part ways Urbus. The boy's partner and the axe-wieldier had been quick to following him through the teleport gate; then Ryu took me by the hand and pulled me toward the gate. That's when we got our first look at the town of Urbus. As most of the attack party is still back in the boss room, stunned past the ability to move, the city is pretty empty.

                I had taken a second to look around at the new town before easing my hand out of Ryu's grasp. He looked over at me curiously as I brought up my menu. Ryu's eyes widened in surprise when I hit the 'dissolve party' button.

                "I guess you're running off on your own again," Ryu commented.

                I nodded.

                "Well, at least try to keep in contact," he had requested. "I don't want to be wondering if you'd died or not for a whole 'nother month."

                Ryu opened his own menu, and a friend request appears in front of me. I hesitated before pressing the accept button.

                "See you around," Ryu said, leaving after giving a joking two fingered salute.

                After that, I had tracked down an inn to spend the night in before using the rest of the day to explore the Second Floor. It wasn't long after that when the rest of the players started pouring in.

                It's been five days. I'm level eight, which is about average right now. I've been going out into the field solo for the most part, though I do occasionally join parties if I like the person asking. Unfortunately, this means that I have had to avoid the higher level monsters.

                Today, I'm participating in another boss battle. Not a floor boss. Heck no. I've almost sworn off those after what happened between Kibaou and that boy. This one is a field boss, a giant bull named Bullbous Bow. It's blocking the way to the Second Floor's dungeon, so he needs to be taken care of before we can even think about getting to the floor boss. I was also part of the scouting party a few days before. The party leader, Lind, had talked me into joining. I don't know why I let him persuade me. Maybe it's because he reminds me of Diavel.

                Anyway, Lind and I along with four other people make up one party. Kibaou leads another party of six, and a final party of three completes the attack party.

                At seven that morning, I head toward the center of Marome, the town we're starting from, to meet up with the rest of the party. I'm the last one there, and with my arrival, Lind begins to hand out royal blue equipment to help distinguish our party from the other two. Speaking of, Kibaou's party is clothed in moss green. The third party doesn't seem to have a distinguishing color.

                Once everyone is ready, we move as one to the fields around Marome. It's about an hour's walk to Bullbous Bow's field. We get into position before moving forward, just far enough to trigger the boss. The idea is to have Lind and Kibaou's party take the forward position with the third party in the hanging back as reserves. Each of the front teams have two tanks to draw aggro from the boss while the other four members of each party attacks the boss.

                As I said, that was the plan. Kibaou and Lind both want the rewards for killing the boss, so things quickly fall apart. The parties work flawlessly, as long as you only look at one. We are supposed to work in tandem, but each is competing with the other.

                "Your tanks are supposed to be drawing aggro along with ours!" Lind yells at Kibaou.

                The bull charges forward at Kibaou's tanks. That's great and all, but his tanks aren't where they're supposed to be. Kibaou's attackers are waiting for the bull, and when it gets close enough, they lunge forward and attack. I don't care about the final attack bonus. It's the frustration of trying to fight the bull while not cooperating that's bothering me.

                "They are drawing aggro," Kibaou shoot back.

                "But you're taking the bull out of my attackers' range. We are supposed to be working together," Lind argues.

                They continue to argue as the rest of us fight the bull. Even with the friction between the two groups, the boss's hp dwindles steadily. The heath bar turns red, and the end of the battle is in sight. This is when things fall apart. Lind's tanks don't move fast enough to avoid the boss's charge. The two get knocked back a pretty good distance, and the bull turns on us, the attackers. We scatter, and the bull blows past us. Kibaou's tanks distract the bull for a moment, but he quickly turns on Kibaou's attackers. While the tanks are trying to reorganize, the attackers from both parties group together. The bull charges us. We jump to the side and strike as he runs past.

                We continue on this pattern until it almost feels like a dance. The tanks, having regrouped, join us. With all of us working as one, the boss goes down quickly.

                When the giant bull's hp reaches zero, he bellows loudly and half rears up, tossing his head back and forth. He's nothing but polygons before his front hooves can reach the ground. Congratulations are exchanged and I let out a small, "Whoop!"

                I return to Urbus with a big grin on my face that evening. I've stayed in Urbus the past few days for one reason only; the roofs are perfect for parkour. I had explored the other town, but I enjoy leaping from rooftop to rooftop. I feel like a character in a movie when I do. The view isn't too bad here either. For whatever reason, the town looks like it had been built in a crater. Whether that's because there are tall mountains all around, or because this town might actually built in a crater is up in the air. A new town is open now that Bullbous Bow is gone, so maybe I'll check that out in the morning.

                I receive a message when I reach my room. It's from Ryu. I sit down on the bed and open my menu.

                _I heard that you where in the battle against Bullbous Bow. I wish I could have been there to see the fight, or better yet, participate in it, but there was no way I was going to be in Kibaou's party, and Lind said he had enough members when I asked._

_Congratulations on your victory._

_-Ryu_

                I grin when I read the message. Closing it, I go to another part of the menu to change out of my field clothes. It's not like there's much of a difference, as comfort isn't really a factor nor are the clothes dirty. I just do it out of habit, and it sets my mind in a relaxed mood. After I've changed, I pull up Ryu's message once again and hit 'Reply.'

                "The bull was nowhere as difficult as Illfang," I write. "We did have a bit of an issue near the end, as the bull broke our formation. The only real problem during the fight was that Lind and Kibaou kept arguing."

                I send the message and then climb to my feet. My avatar is hungry. Hunger and exhaustion exist within SAO, though neither will kill you. The sensation will just stay with you until you sate it.


	6. A New Friend

                It's another five days later when the Second Floor boss is beaten. From the message I got, Ryu was a part of the attack party. I teleport to the Third Floor, to Zumfut. The town is... different. At first I don't even see it. There is a large forest around me. A wall made of logs separates the area around me from most of the trees, though three tall baobab trees are inside the wall. I finally do realize that the baobabs are the buildings, but only because I see people coming out of them.

                The town is nice and peaceful, and the fact that the buildings are trees just adds to that. It's dark under the cover of the baobabs, though enough light leaks through to see by. Animals are abundant here. There are song birds chirping above my head, squirrels running up and down the trunks of the trees, and rabbits crawl along the ground. This town feels like something out of a fairy tale.

                That thought shatters as soon as I hear his voice. "Couldn't wait to see me, could ya?"

                With a playful sigh, I turn around to face Ryu. "I wanted to see the new floor," I inform him.

                "If you want to do any exploring outside of town," Ryu says, "you might want to travel with a party."

                "Why?" I question.

                "The floor seems to be made up of on large forest, or at least the area around Zumfut. The floor's only been open for an hour, so no one has gone to deep in," Ryu explains.

                "And?" I press. "Trees aren't exactly all that scary."

                "Well, it seems pretty easy to get lost in there," he continues. "I helped explore after we activated the teleport gate, and we almost didn't find our way back."

                "Are you sure that y'all just didn't get lost?" I ask teasingly.

                "You seem in a better mood than most times I see you," Ryu comments thoughtfully.

                "Maybe I'm just getting used to living here," I answer him seriously. It's true, and I'm not the only one. We all still want to leave, but we're also getting used to life in SAO. Ryu and I are struck silent, reminded of our situation.

                "Well, anyway," Ryu says. "Just be careful out there."

                I nod. "I will be."

                With that, Ryu and I part ways. I go to look for an inn, and Ryu goes off who knows where. It takes me awhile to figure out which tree is the inn. The baobabs form a triangle around the teleport square, and the one with the inn is the south-eastern one. There's also a bulletin outside of this tree, marking it as a place for players to congregate. I reserve a room here while there still are rooms available before heading out into the forest. From what I saw, there are two gates; one on the south-western curve of the wall, and one at the southernmost tip. The southern gate being the closest, I leave through that one.

                My first step out of the gate is a surprise. Along with a wall made out of logs, the town is encircled by a moat. The forest is also thicker than I had imagined, more dense than anything on the other two floors. It's especially a shock as the Second Floor is mostly fields. This floor is a great change from what I've seen recently. I take an extra moment to take it all in before continuing forward.

                My feet tap against the wooden bridge, a sound I've always loved. When I get under the cover of the trees it turns to dusk. It's only a little after noon, so it shouldn't be this dark.

                I wander through the forest for about twenty minutes before an icon appears nearby. It's a red icon, a monster. I can't see it because of the thickness of the underbrush, but I stop to draw my sword. It takes another few moments for the monster to appear. The creature is a little feathered dragon. I don't want to attack it, it's too cute and small. He doesn't seem to want to fight either, more interested in observing me.

                The little dragon lands on a branch near my head and gives a little cry. "Are you hungry?" I ask him. I know this is an AI developed by the game, but this guy reminds me of the stray cats around my house. Opening my menu, I scroll through my items until I come across something that I think an dragon'd eat. I hold out the bit of meat, some Frenzy Boar flesh left over from my time on the First Floor.

                The little creature sniffs the meat curiously, gulping down the scrap. With a little churr, the dragon lights over to me, landing on my shoulder. "I take it you're going to stay with me," I comment. The little dragon stretches out his wings and flaps lightly.

                "I'll take that as a yes," I answer myself, scratching the little creature on the head. "Now you just need a name."


End file.
